


A Rival, Partner, and Something More

by nicetossu



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Awkwardness, Fluff, Getting Together, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, M/M, Sharing Clothes, Sharing a Bed, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2020-07-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:00:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25556257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nicetossu/pseuds/nicetossu
Summary: The last person Hinata Shouyou felt feelings for was his classmate who was soft spoken, sweet, and a pretty girl.The person who Hinata Shouyou currently felt feelings for was his rival and partner who was everything but a sweet and pretty girl.
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio
Comments: 5
Kudos: 56





	1. Romantic Feelings?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata Shouyou struggles to accept that he may harbor romantic feelings for Kageyama Tobio. As much as he would like to deny he felt anything for his rival, teammate, and partner it's clear to see that what was once admiration has turned into something more.

It had been awhile since Hinata Shouyou had felt romantic feelings for someone. The last time he could recall liking someone was in junior high before he became serious about pursuing volleyball. Like always he had fallen asleep during homeroom and as a result didn’t take important notes he would need for future exams. In the midst of his panic at having missed such an important lesson one of his classmates offered him their notes, and so Hinata was quick to fall for them. The said classmate was soft spoken, laughed at all of Hinata’s flustered words and actions, and was a pretty girl. The last bit was important to his current dilemma as the person he was trying to understand his feelings for was everything but a soft spoken and pretty girl.

No, the person he was confused about was aggressive and a boy. A boy who he had declared his rival but also his partner when it came to volleyball. It was extremely frustrating for Hinata to try and discern what his feelings for Kageyama Tobio were but it was necessary if they were going to continue to be both rivals and partners. It wasn’t like Hinata wanted to feel confused or even think about Kageyama in that way; it had just happened.

Somewhere along the timeline of their partnership the feelings of admiration and rivalry had blurred into something more. Hinata wasn’t sure when exactly his feelings had changed but he was quick to notice how it didn’t annoy him as much to have Kageyama win their little contests if it meant he got to see his weird smile. Or how he felt like he was flying even off the court when Kageyama gave him pointers or the rare compliment. Or how when they walked home together he would come to dread when they would part ways, always lingering behind to watch the outline of Kageyama’s back as he disappeared into the distance.

Kageyama didn’t feel like just a partner and rival anymore, that much was sure.

“Hey! Why does it look like you’re actually using your brain for once?” Kageyama spoke, tone harsh.

Hinata jumped at his voice, now being pulled out of his thoughts back into the late receiving practice the two were having. It had been a while since they had a practice like this. Midterms had just ended and the two were free to go back to being ‘volleyball idiots’ as Tsukishima had once said.

Kageyama stared at Hinata intently, waiting for his reply as he spun a volleyball between his hands. The court was littered with countless other volleyballs and Kageyama’s right hand was a bright red that matched Hinata’s forearms. The two had been practicing receives for a while now yet it still wasn’t enough for either of them. Kageyama was insistent that Hinata needed as much practice as possible and Hinata agreed; a part of him was actually glad he would get to spend some extra time with Kageyama alone, not just because he would get to improve his receiving skills but because they would get to be together. Hinata would never acknowledge this part of him though, that would be too embarrassing.

“Don’t be mean Bakayama! I use my brain all the time.” Hinata huffed, trying to ignore his previous thoughts about his possible romantic feelings for the boy in front of him.

“Liar.” Kageyama said simply as he hit the volleyball that he was previously spinning towards Hinata’s direction.

The middle blocker was quick to respond, shifting his feet quickly as he received the ball perfectly, watching it closely as it bounced back to Kageyama. The raven haired boy continued to hit it back to Hinata until it finally bounced too fast and far for either of them to save.

The two stood there for a moment, releasing a synchronized sigh after realizing that was the last ball from the cart and that it was time for them to clean up and lock up the gym. The sun had set a bit ago and the duo was quite obviously exhausted from the physical aspect of practicing and drained from the mental aspect of having had to take finals that day.

The two were silent as they went about picking up all the balls and cleaning the gym well, not wanting to have to face Daichi’s wrath if they were to leave anything looking unkempt. They soon went about changing from their practice clothes to their regular clothes, still not saying anything to one another as they took their time getting ready to leave. Hinata made sure to remind himself that it wasn’t strange that he stole a few glances at Kageyama’s naked torso, he was just checking on the physical state of his partner and rival to make sure he was in top shape. Not strange at all.

Soon enough the duo were walking home together, still having exchanged no words with one another, only yawns and deep sighs filled the quiet every now and again. Hinata felt the same dread he felt at seeing they were close to the spot where they would diverge and say their goodbyes. It was always so difficult for Hinata to say a simple ‘see you later’ despite the fact they would be seeing each other soon enough. The two reached the spot all too quickly and the orange-haired boy opened his mouth to say his farewell but he was cut off by his friend.

“I’ve been meaning to ask, why do you always stare at me when I walk away from here?” Kageyama asked with a curious expression that contradicted how bored he sounded asking.

Hinata stiffened up at the question, his mind going completely blank. He had no clue what to say, not even knowing why he did that himself. He looked down at his feet for a moment and then up at Kageyama as he tried to rack his brain for an explanation that would satisfy his teammate.

“I don’t know, I guess I want to make sure you’re safe until the very end!” Hinata said with a grin as he hoped Kageyama wouldn’t pry anymore. It was a bad excuse but he was sure Kageyama wouldn’t look too far into it.

“Hm. You should worry about yourself, you know, you’re the one biking in the mountains at night.” Kageyama said as he gently nudged Hinata’s shoulder with his own as a way to emphasize his point.

Hinata held his breath at the contact as he felt his gut twist and the tip of his ears get hot. Since when did getting touched by someone who was his teammate cause this kind of reaction? Usually he would give a shove back and laugh at the physical contact but this time he completely pulled away from it, trying to hide his flustered expression as he let out a shaky breath. The raven haired boy next to him failed to notice any of his reactions to his gentle shove as he prepared to part ways with him.

“See you later.” Kageyama said quietly as he held back a yawn, now turning away from his partner as he began his journey home.

Hinata didn’t stay to watch the outline of Kageyama’s back until the very end this time, instead he hopped on his bike and peddled away as quickly as he could. He tried to convince himself that the endless thrumming of his heart was from riding his bike, that the bubbly ‘gwah’ feeling in his gut was from having had a good practice, and that his own flushed face was a result of the chilly wind that blew over him as he raced home.

“Aaahhhh it’s not fair, stupid dumb Bakayama!” Hinata shouted into the quiet mountains as he tried desperately to ignore the obvious truth.

The awful and _horrendous_ truth that he held romantic feelings for his partner and rival in volleyball, his closest friend, and the only person who shared the same passion for winning as he did. Kageyama Tobio was anything but a soft spoken and pretty girl, so why did Hinata Shouyou like him?


	2. Denial and Acceptance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After realizing his own feelings for Kageyama, Hinata decides to repress them. There's no way he could ever confess to his teammate so the next best thing is to pretend that his feelings don't exist.
> 
> Only Kageyama is making it very hard for Hinata to ignore his own feelings, especially with how easily he's able to make Hinata's heart flutter.

The next morning Hinata Shouyou was dreading and looking forward to one thing: seeing Kageyama during morning practice. Karasuno would be having a practice match the next day, so Coach Ukai had suggested having an early morning practice in order to allow the team to have a good night’s rest before having to play the next day. Everyone had agreed and so now Hinata was on his way to early morning practice, vibrating with nerves at the thought of having to see Kageyama. He felt excited to practice alongside him that morning, hitting his tosses and feeling himself fly because of the setter; yet the nerves that came with playing next to Kageyama, who was now not just his teammate but also his love interest, were intermingled with the excitement. The best way to describe the anxiety Hinata felt was to say it's like a big ‘wah’ that churned in both his stomach and his heart. Accepting the romantic feelings Hinata held for Kageyama was confusing and a bit difficult for him, but he had been able to do it. Hinata felt pride at his own acceptance of these feelings until he realized how easy it had been to do so, albeit really embarrassing. The true challenge laid in how to deal with the romantic feelings he held for Kageyama Tobio, his rival, teammate, and now newly found love interest.

It wasn’t like Hinata could confess his feelings. The mere thought of that made his blood run cold, he would never recover from the rejection that the setter was sure to bestow on him if he did so. The best option in his mind was to pretend that these feelings didn’t exist at all and try to go back to his own version of normal. He would try to calm the butterflies in his stomach that arose when he thought about Kageyama, attempt to push down the romantic fantasies he played out in his head from time to time, and not feel flustered at the small bits of physical contact they were sure to share during practice. It would be easy, well as easy it could be to try and control his own heart when it came to who it loved.

In the middle of planning to completely reject and suppress his own romantic feelings he suddenly heard loud, pounding footsteps behind him. He quickly whipped his head around to see Kageyama sprinting towards him, eyes focused on the door to the changing room as he quickened his pace upon seeing Hinata. On pure instinct the orange-haired boy began running as well, his goal the same as Kageyama’s as they both bounded towards the door that led into the changing room. The two made it to the entrance at the same exact time now panting for air as they flopped over on the ground, exhausted from trying to outrace one another so early in the morning.

“It was a tie this time.” Hinata managed to say, still out of breath as he tried to remind himself to be as normal as possible when talking to his teammate.

“Barely, I would have beaten you if we had both started running from the same place.” Kageyama grumbled as he looked towards the direction Hinata was laying in.

Hinata giggled at the statement as he got up from laying on the ground, now going to open up the door to the changing room in order to begin getting ready for practice. Before he could reach for the handle he felt a soft kick to the back of his calf. He turned his head to look back at Kageyama who was reaching out both his arms to him, indicating that he wanted help getting up. Hinata felt his heart skip a beat at the non-verbal request as he tried to calm the red that creeped onto his cheeks and ears. He did as requested, helping lift up Kageyama from the ground as they both now made their way into the changing room. 

During practice things went as they usually did. The duo practiced their serves, receives, and were in the middle of working on their quick attacks when the rest of the Karasuno team arrived. Things had been going as normally as Hinata had hoped they would go and he began to feel more relaxed, his previous nerves slipping away as he focused entirely on practicing. Maybe it would be easy to ignore his romantic feelings and go back to feeling only platonic emotions towards his teammate. The rest of the team began practicing on their own, exchanging only a few words with the duo as they went about polishing up their own individual skills.

Hinata and Kageyama were currently on a break, finally resting after countless drills that had drained both of them. Hinata was taking small sips from his water bottle as he watched the rest of his team perform their own drills, admiring how much they dedicated themselves to a sport he shared the same love and passion for. While thinking about this dedication to volleyball he suddenly thought about Kageyama and how well the setter represented both passion and commitment. It was one of the main reasons Hinata had fallen for him, yet it was also the main reason why he wanted to repress his romantic feelings towards him. It wouldn’t be fair to dump such messy romantic emotions on Kageyama when he was so focused on volleyball and only volleyball. He let out a sigh at the thought, not sure why it made him a bit sad to have to let go of his own feelings for the sake of the setter. Maybe there was a small part of Hinata that had hoped they would be able to share this passion and dedication for volleyball together, but he felt like that was a hopeless fantasy. 

Kageyama suddenly reached for Hinata’s water bottle, pulling the orange-haired boy from his thoughts as he opened his mouth to complain. Before he could though he watched the setter take a long sip from the water bottle, sweat dripping down his neck as he let out a hefty sigh after drinking a sufficient amount. He wiped at the remnants of water that sat on his chapped lips as he let out a small ‘sorry’ and ‘thanks’ while handing back the water bottle to Hinata. The boy sat there, completely speechless as he took back his water bottle and let out a small hum of acknowledgement at Kageyama's words. There was nothing he could do to express the frenzy of thoughts and emotions that went through his head and heart, and even if there were he could not have properly expressed them. It felt like he had short-circuited at the mere sight of watching Kageyama take a drink from his water bottle. The only clear thought he was able to discern among hundreds was:

_ Indirect kiss. _

Hinata flushed a bright red at the thought as he let out a loud yelp, covering his face as he kicked his feet like a frustrated child would. Kageyama and the rest of his team looked at him with a mix of concern and confusion. The only one who didn’t acknowledge the middle blocker at all was Tsukishima, who merely let out a small sigh as he continued on with his practice despite the fact the rest of his team had turned their attention to the orange-haired boy. 

“Hinata! Is something wrong?” Daichi called as he jogged his way over to the duo.

Hinata suddenly stopped his childish kicking and smacked his face with his hands, the stinging pain bringing him back into reality as he took in a deep breath. He gave Daichi a curt nod and simple thumbs up as he quickly jumped up from Kageyama’s side and jogged his way over to the rest of the team, who were now even more concerned for him.

“I’m okay! I’m just nervous about tomorrow’s practice match!” Hinata said as he smiled bashfully, scratching the back of his head as he let out a nervous laugh. 

The team let out a unified sigh of relief as they mumbled about how worried they had been for a second. Hinata continued to apologize to his team as he prepared to get back to practicing. He felt his stomach twist and flutter while the thumping of his heart played loud and clear in his ears. He had almost failed at acting completely normal with his teammate but he mentally pat himself on the back for being able to hold it together so well, especially after all stupid Kageyama had put him through when he had taken a sip from his water bottle. Hinata suddenly felt a hand on his head and he reached up for it, turning around his entire body to face the person who it belonged to. His own soft brown eyes met cold steel blue ones, Kageyama’s eyes. He felt his heart leap in his throat at both the physical contact and his previous realization that they had shared an indirect kiss.

“You don’t have to be nervous about the match tomorrow, as long as I’m there you won’t suck.” Kageyama said as if the statement was a fact.

His wording was awful, his tone wasn’t cute at all, and his hand on Hinata’s head felt a bit too heavy; yet Hinata was grateful that the bright red on his cheeks was assumed to be from the previous smack he had endured and not from Kageyama’s words or hand that gently ruffled his ginger hair. His plan hadn’t even been in play for a day yet it was already falling apart. There was just no way Hinata could ever repress his romantic feelings for Kageyama, no way at all.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second chapter done let's go! I'm hoping to make this story around 10 chapters so I hope you'll all stick with me until the very end! Again I appreciate all views, comments, and kudos so thank you all so much for the support so far. I really appreciate it and I hope that you enjoy my story. Things will soon start to develop for our favorite setter but for now we can watch Hinata struggle to cope with how intimate and touchy Kageyama can be at times without even realizing it. How will Hinata survive his own feelings for Kageyama?


End file.
